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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26633899">Three's a Crowd</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparklight/pseuds/sparklight'>sparklight</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ancient Greek Religion &amp; Lore</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Developing Relationship, F/M, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Introspection, Mentioned Hephaestus - Freeform, Minor Aphrodite/Hephaestus (Ancient Greek Religion &amp; Lore)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 09:55:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,571</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26633899</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparklight/pseuds/sparklight</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Love and War are more comparable and compatible than they might be at first glance. </p><p>As Aphrodite goes from not noticing the oldest son of Zeus and Hera at all, to finding him startlingly handsome, to something she surprisingly wants to <i>hold onto</i>, the relationship hits a couple snags on the way. Eos is not difficult to deal with, but Hephaistos is a more difficult one.</p><p>In the end, Aphrodite has it as she wishes it to be, no matter what anyone else thought she should agree to or settle with.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aphrodite/Ares (Ancient Greek Religion &amp; Lore)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Three's a Crowd</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Graceful Aphrodite had taken her honours and place on Olympos with all the self-confidence and power as befitted a greater goddess, offspring of dread Ouranos as she was, and grew to full womanhood in time. Learning the extent of her honours and her powers, she was cheerfully and pleasantly distracted with her own doings and quite uninterested in most the present inhabitants of Olympos. Her greatest interest in Zeus was if she could affect him as she could any given man or woman of mortal make (she could), and Apollo was more of a delight to her eyes and heart for other reasons. Especially his charming crush on all the nine Muses, and Aphrodite would never laugh at his naive yearning to marry all nine of them. They did enjoy each other afterwards, when he'd been made to understand he could not marry nine women even if he as well as they were all of equal grace, and once again after he'd been rebuffed by Hestia. She could have warned him Hestia wouldn’t be interested and did try to do so, but he'd been certain of his great charm. Something which maybe had Aphrodite feeling a little insulted he wouldn't listen to her, so the chance to both make fun of and soothe his crying had been a pleasant way to soothe her own injured feelings.</p><p>Afterwards she pointed out that while he could not <i>marry</i> all nine Muses at once, there was nothing to say they couldn't enjoy each other's company anyway. Marriage might be the preferred state of things, the natural conclusion of the passion of love, but she was frankly more interested in seeing lovely Phoibos smiling again, and if this was the solution to that, why not? Besides, when that upset hadn't left Apollo any less drawn to the Muses, no less than they were to him, that seemed the best solution.</p><p>It worked out surprisingly well, all in all.</p><p>All this, then, left her quite distracted and she didn't notice the childish form of Ares rise up and bloom into stunning, youthful beauty. Not before Eos was already approaching him at one of the commemorative feasts for the defeat of the Titans, as the goddess of the dawn had brushed past her and inadvertently drawn her attention to where she was going. It was perhaps not strange she might have missed the oldest children of both the king and current queen of Olympos; younger they'd been terribly uninteresting to her, downright annoyances in fact, and she had her own palace to live in besides. The older they got, the more rare were their appearances - aside from that one moment Enyo had theatrically and terribly shaken all of Olympos in her furious departure, and afterwards Enyalios had quietly become Ares. That wasn't so very long ago, but Aphrodite had more noted Enyo at that time than her brother. </p><p>As she watched him now, radiant in the way the light caught in his golden curls, Aphrodite cursed herself for blind. Maybe she had no need to worry, though. Just because Eos was interested didn’t mean Ares would be. But Eos leaned in to whisper in Ares’ ear and he slowly flushed even as a wide grin overtook his face. He was terribly charming when he didn’t look like he wanted to break someone’s neck. This only deepened Aphrodite’s indignation.</p><p>So she didn't get the chance to get to Ares before Eos did, trying to take her time where Eos was more direct, and in her fury at being upstaged, Eos suffered. The goddess of the dawn noticed little of the curse laid on her at first, but that was part of Aphrodite’s revenge. If she had to stick her fingers in the pollen of flowers she ought not pluck when she was married (not that Aphrodite cared, Eos could do as she wished, but she ought to have <i>backed off</i> when there were others interested and she <i>was</i> married!) then she would find the world full of irresistible flowers.</p><p>Almost, Aphrodite dropped Ares, full of pique that she hadn't gotten to be his first, but in the end - and she was quite surprised - she didn't just go through with it, things... developed. Developed and stuck to her, to both of them. </p><p>She was the first to soothe the god when his nature led to honours much despised alongside more pleasant ones. It was worse to his parents when he clearly <i>revelled</i> in the war, in the bloodshed and senseless violence, if not to the detriment of, but certainly more than his charge as a god of courage. She could not understand why he would, but that bothered her little. Love and passion could create terrible bloodshed and consequences, and she never did shy away from those in preference to the lovely, garlanded beds where limbs entwined and raised breathless sensation.</p><p>They grew closer, not apart, and then gifts arrived from Hephaistos.</p><p>Not that anyone but Hera knew who he was at first, but the gifts came with greetings and proper respects paid as well as a proclamation of who he was, and the radiant Queen of Olympos was briefly flustered at having something she'd clearly tried to hide so awfully exposed to the light of day. But clearly Hephaistos held no grudge, given the gifts, which all the gods exclaimed over. At least that's how it appeared at first, and Aphrodite wouldn't have noticed much of anything to the contrary if she hadn't been brought to awareness otherwise by a furious, shamefaced Ares coming to her arms a little later.</p><p>"What is it, looking like that?" She laughed, caressing his chin, scruff under her fingertips. He'd taken to growing a beard, but luckily he preferred it not much more than a bare suggestion of one after an unfortunate attempt at growing it longer. Ares seemed little comforted by her smile or the kiss she pressed to his stiff, unmoving lips, and Aphrodite pulled back with a frown.</p><p>"I couldn't drag Hephaistos back to free Mother," Ares said, each word dragged out of him like they were razor-edged stones that cut his throat and tongue.</p><p>Aphrodite blinked, not surprised as such that Ares would attempt to help Hera despite that she blew more cold than hot towards him, for she often made use of his skills when it suited her. Anything to try to get into his parents good graces. And, too, Aphrodite wasn't surprised he didn't much like to admit he'd failed - for clearly he had - Ares, like any of them, hated losing. More so because he often lost to Athena in the realm of mortal wars, when they were both involved and on opposite sides. Ares had terribly quickly learned he despised it, even more so since Athena was so beloved by their father despite her involvement in war. The better sort of involvement in war in Zeus’ eyes, unfortunately. Ares' charge and honours were blood and violence and berserk rage, bodies littering the battlefield and the weapons used to tear both cities and people apart. Athena's was the ways and plans that might make it go as quickly and smoothly as possible, the cool calculation that might afford a win with as little bloodshed and few deaths but as much honour won as possible.</p><p>"I'm sorry, my heart," Aphrodite said, kissing his cheek and mentally planning what might all make him feel better again, or, at the very least, distract him. Ares hugged her close, but there was a stiffness to his arms that revealed that as much as he wanted her as close as she wanted to be, he could not let himself.</p><p>"You don't understand, Hera proclaimed any who could free her would be free to have your hand in marriage, and Zeus said nothing against it!"</p><p>Aphrodite froze. Pulled back after a cold, hard moment and, clutching Ares’ shoulders where she stood on tip-toe to reach his face with her lips, finally gave up and boosted herself up in the air by will alone. Strands of dark brown hair floated out from her usually impeccable and intricate coiffure.</p><p>"She did <i>what</i>?" hissing, Aphrodite dug her nails into Ares' shoulders, though he didn't flinch and took her rage. He almost seemed relieved for it, meeting her incandescent stare in full. "What else is there?"</p><p>Because there had to be more, by the way Ares acted. She wouldn't necessarily have minded all this, if Ares had succeeded. Not that either of them had been planning for actual marriage, enjoying their time spent together without considering it in a more formal fashion as they were. It hadn't been so very long since they got involved, truly, though that mattered little as marriage was often a matter of near immediate festivity after a couple had come together – or before, with a father giving his daughter away, but Aphrodite’s father could do no such thing. On the other hand, Zeus, as king of the gods, was capable of this, but for all that he undoubtedly might wish to have Aphrodite tied up in such fashion, clearly he was hesitating to tie her to <i>Ares</i>. So, with all that in mind, ultimately she wouldn't have minded. Not when it was Ares. In fact, if this would have forced Zeus and Hera to accepting their relationship, Aphrodite would have been terribly glad for it!</p><p>But no.</p><p>"... I accidentally told Hephaistos why I cared enough to attempt to drag him out." Ares squirmed, as rarely as he did so, and looked away from Aphrodite's ever darkening gaze, the lovely green of it as terrible as the vast swell of an ocean in a brewing storm. "He was mocking me! Thought I had more reason to be pleased at Hera's predicament than try to help her!"</p><p>Briefly, Aphrodite felt a little flare of amusement at Hephaistos misunderstanding Ares so. She knew, could easily see, that it would've made Ares even angrier, though not for the reason Hephaistos would have more naturally thought. </p><p>Briefly, this was amusing. Very, very briefly.</p><p>"I understand. He clearly doesn't know you at all, beloved. Now go back and <i>try again</i>! What if he decides he wants the reward, <i>me</i>, I have to point out, himself?" Maybe she was being overcautious, but Aphrodite was also a goddess of exceptional beauty few could match themselves against (Hera herself might indeed be the only one), and the lure of marriage and the marriage bed could snare many a man, no matter his anger.</p><p>"I---" Ares almost refused her - less because he didn't want her, didn't wish to marry her, didn't wish to please her and see her happy, and more because he didn't wish to return to the site of his failure, have to face the man who bested him again. He silenced at Aphrodite's furious glare, flushing and squirming again. "Of course. I'll go back, try again. But I don't see why he <i>would</i>, he's really furious at Mother and was cursing her out like you wouldn’t believe."</p><p>Briefly, Ares smirked, and briefly, Aphrodite almost lost her own anger to Ares' stunning rakishness. Briefly, and almost, but she huffed and lowered herself to the ground, shoving him. "<i>Go</i>---"</p><p>The doors opened to let Iris inside, and utterly shattered Aphrodite's comfortable, pleasant life.</p><p>It was not that Hephaistos was ugly in his withered, twisted legs that still carried him, if with difficulty. She couldn't have cared less about that, especially when he turned out to be an exemplary lover, though perhaps too kind and sweet for her in the long run. He seemed unable to match all her sharper edges and abyss depths, for Aphrodite was not only flower-scented sweetness lit by sunlight and silk-draped beds. It was not that he was a cruel husband, aside from not bothering to ask if she had been in on this plan, had agreed to be the reward to end the queen's predicament. He was generous to a fault, and she found some fascination in the skilled, beautiful work he did with his hands, and he listened to her. But he was uncomfortable with some of the things she would say, and soon she stopped. Ares, meanwhile had never been uncomfortable, for while the darkness they both held had different causes, the depths were similar and Aphrodite listened as well as Ares did. </p><p>It was more that Hephaistos had strode into the marriage with no care about anything but having both humiliated his mother (rightly, for the pains paid to him) and won such a lovely prize as Aphrodite, more as a bonus than as the goal. She was no one’s <i>side-conquest</i>.</p><p>She did not care about his fragile edges, when he'd stomped over her to begin with; she was not obliged to help him grow past them or polish them until brittle, razor-sharpness. She did not care that he certainly made up for his initial missteps, for she could not leave all of her in his large, gentle hands. Too, he remained uncomprehending - even, a couple times, off-handedly scornful - over her relationship with Ares. She did not require him to understand, but insulting her lover to her face, as if she should agree with him, as if she’d entertained Ares under her sufferance, was deeply insulting. To her as well as Ares. She did not care that she did find him handsome and that he certainly carried his beard better than Ares had, and suited it better to such a degree she was willing to overlook she didn’t much like such facial hair.</p><p>She did not care; she hadn’t entered this marriage with any heart, and he was not owed it.</p><p>Not that she immediately returned to Ares' arms, for she was angry at him too. But before the fullness of time came for the child she bore under her heart, she softened and searched her beloved out. Initially only to tell him the child was his, but well... They were Ares and Aphrodite and he was by now terribly and properly apologetic and knowing, too, where he had faulted and made sure she knew he knew.</p><p>Things went back to normal, kind of, from there.</p><p>A new normal Aphrodite would have been fine with in the end, for Hephaistos was not a burden as a husband and had his charms as a man and an individual. Even so he could not take Ares' place in his heart, and she would never give it to him willingly. She thought he really ought to have understood that. Clearly, he did not, when Helios’ ratting them out came as a surprise to her husband and then he did… that.</p><p>In the end, Aphrodite didn't care about that either. The humiliation of the marriage and how it ended was a price she would willingly pay in the form of her embarrassed fury at being unwillingly exposed in her love to and with Ares. She would pay it, and would have paid it several times over if Hephaistos could not understand her enough to allow her this and wasn't willing to share when he'd horned himself into a spot she hadn't initially given him.</p><p>She did not care. He would have to find the delight of the marriage bed elsewhere and she would be pleased to help him, for he certainly deserved it. But for her, she had what she wanted again, <i>as</i> she wanted it.</p>
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